Couplings or connectors for heat exchange plates



W. RASKIN March 24, 1964 COUPLINGS OR CONNECTORS FOR HEAT EXCHANGE PLATES Filed Oct. 21, 1959 FIG.2.

INVENTOR.

United States Patent Office.

3,126,215 Patented Mar. 24, 1964 3,126,215 (IGUPLEIGS R QONNECTGRS FGR HEAT EXHANGE PLATES alter Ruskin, 922 Ave. 3, Brooklyn, NIY.

File-3 Set. 21, 1959, Ser. No. $47,713 1 laim. (Cl. 285-176) This invention relates to heat exchanger devices and more particularly to couplings or connectors employed on heat exchange panel plates. A heat exchanger of the type to which the present invention has special application, is shown in US. Patent No. 2,626,130, dated January 20, 1953. The device therein shown consists of a pair of metal sheets facially connected together, with at least one of the sheets grooved to form passages or ducts for the refrigerant or other heat exchange fluid. The production of inlet and outlet connections for a device of this character has involved a number of problems, which it is one of the objects of the present invention to solve.

In a heat exchanger of the character above described, it is conventional practice to distort or expand the metal of one or both of the plates in a duct or passage thereof to make it fit the pipe fitting for attachment to the refrigerant source. ince the panel in which the passages or ducts are formed is subjected to considerable pressure in use, it is desirable that no portion of the panel shall be weakened, such as by the distortion or expansion necessary to provide inlet and outlet elements.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide inlet and outlet fittings which will fit in place at the inlet and outlet of the panel and welded thereat in place and without requiring special shaping of parts of the panel, such as is usually done by deformation of parts of the panel.

It is another object of the invention to provide fittings of this character which can be inexpensively manufactured; which will serve to improve the fiow through the panel, thus reducing pressure drop, excessive or undesired turbulence, and which can be speedily and accurately fitted in position on the panel.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is a face view of a portion of a heat exchanger panel, showing two of the improved fittings applied thereto;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the ine 22 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of one of the fittings;

FIG. 4 shows one of the fittings, partly in section and applied to an inlet or outlet of the exchanger panel preparatory to be welded thereto;

FIG. 5 is a face view of a portion of a heat exchanger panel with another type of fitting applied thereto, and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 66 of FIG. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to the structure shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 thereof, the evaporator plate, generally indicated at 1, consists of a pair of facially attached metal plates 2 and 3 which are usually, but not necessarily, rectangular in shape. These sheets are embossed, stamped or otherwise processed to provide corrugations 4, forming passages 5 for the refrigerant. The passages or ducts 4 connect into a manifold 6, also consisting of corrugations formed in the plates 2 and 3. The manifold 6 is open at one end and to this open end the fitting, generally indicated at 7, is applied. In the form shown, the fitting 7 consists of a metal sleeve, externally threaded adjacent one end, as indicated at 8 to enable it to be connected to a pipe fitting and thus to a refrigerant source or some source supplying the cooling or heating medium.

The co-operating corrugations in the respective plates 2 and 3 which form the manifold 6 are shaped so that, as will be seen in FIG. 2, said manifold is of hexagonal or polygonal shape. Therefore, to fit this portion of the manifold, one end of the fitting '7 is complementarily shaped or contracted as indicated at 9 to enable this portion of the fitting to fit over the open end 10 of the manifold 6, as shown in FIG. 4. In order to clear the top edge portions of the plates 2 and 3, the end 11 of the fitting is provided with diametrically-opposite slots 12 into which these portions of the plates fit.

It will thus be clear that the shape and construction of the fitting '7 is such that it can be readily telescopically fitted over the end of the manifold 6, thus forming an extension thereof and to which suitable piping may be connected. When the fitting is placed in position, as shown in FIG. 4, it is welded in place, as indicated at 13, thereby securing it permanently to the panel.

The fitting shown at 14 is substantially similar to that shown at 7 and the same is welded at the end of the duct shown at 15, the welding being indicated at 16.

Another type of connection fitting is shown at 17 in FIGS. 5 and 6. Therein, the fitting is disclosed in the form of a cup, having a smaller open end 18 secured by the welding 1h over the opening 2%) in one of the walls of the manifold 21. This fitting, and the manner of its attachrnent to the manifold provides for a projection from the face of the manifold rather than from the end thereof, as shown in FIG. 1.

With connections of the character described, piping can be readily attached to the evaporator plate without requiring distortion or deformation of any parts of the plate and particularly in the ducts or passages thereof. As a result, the passage of the fluid is at no time restricted and the possibility of pressure drop avoided. The manner in which the fittings are applied to the plate insures correctness of fit and ease of assembly.

Having described several embodiments of the invention it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claim.

What I claim is:

A heat exchanger device comprising in combination a pair of substantially flat heat exchanger plates facially attached together at a substantially fiat peripheral margin, said plates including intermediate corrugations forming internal passages, at least one of said passages being polygonal in cross-section and extending to and opening at a marginal edge of said plates, said plate edges extending diametrically on opposite sides of said opening, a tubular fitting including a lower open end substantially conforming to the polygonal shape of said corrugation and References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 96,962 Reinshagen Nov. 16, 1869 4 Seitz Oct. 10, 1893 Murray Oct. 30, 1917 Beach Dec. 3, 1929 Cornell Nov. 7, 1933 Durham July 10, 1934 Klouman May 2, 1939 Hickman Feb. 18, 1958 McGuffey Apr. 18, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS France June 22, 1959 

